In “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson, the author explains how her childhood experience was detrimentally impacted because of how young she had to throw her youth away and center her life on being a wife. She explains that being a wife includes making heavy sacrifices and leaving behind dreams and aspirations you have for yourself. “If aught she missed in her day of amplitude, or awe, or first prospective, or the gold in using wore away”. These lines from the poem demonstrate the wife pondering about what life could have been, had she not become a wife so early. This enhances how the decision was not something she was ready for and included sacrificing one way of life for another, and in turn this left her with questioning thoughts. “The Story of an Hour” relates to “The Wife”, as both the women aren’t that happy with their marriage and it keeps them in a way of life they do not appreciate. The wife in “The Story of an Hour” has a realization after a brief period of grief when hearing her husband had passed away, where she was filled with a new found sense of independence, and a sense of freedom that she will now be living for herself here on out. She is almost paralyzed with emotion. Both the poem and story exemplify how women should make a life of their own, one they would be excited to live with or without someone else, before committing a lifetime to marriage. A lot of times, marriage can come with sacrifices that draw you away from your souls true desires if you are not careful about the commitment.
Daily Archives: March 25, 2022
It lay unmentioned, as the sea Develops pearl and weed, But only to himself is known The fathoms they abide. From stanza 3, It was like the sea, unmentioned, developing pearls and weeds. But only to himself (life partner) is known the deep secrets they abide. This stanza could be similar to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state towards her husband’s false death in the story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. Dickinson and Chopin seems to have a strong emotional impact on husbands. “But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought”. (Lines 34-36) This quotation appears after Louise has gone alone to her room to deal with the news of Brently’s death. After an initial fit of tears, Louise looks out her window at the wide-open spaces below. This quotation is our first hint that Louise’s reaction to Brently’s death will be surprising and that Louise is very different from other women. Whereas most women would gaze reflectively at the sky and clouds, Louise’s gaze suggests something different, something shrewder or more active. What she sees as she gazes out the window is different from what other women would likely see after their husbands have died. Not long after this passage, Louise acknowledges the joyous feeling of independence that Brently’s death has given her. Here, at the window, the first breaths of these feelings are stirring, and her “intelligent thought” will quickly engage once again as she processes these feelings and allows herself to analyze what they mean.
In “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson, the narrator talks about her past memory during her childhood how she didn’t really have the best childhood because she had to leave it all behind and give up her childhood in order to be the wife. She tells us that the idea of being a wife is like having to make a big sacrifice or just leaving behind things you couldn’t now do anymore more in all the possibilities you had in life after becoming the wife and having more responsibilities then to focus on yourself and your own life. “If aught she missed in her day of amplitude, or awe, or first prospective, or the gold in using wore away”. These lines from the poem demonstrate the wife’s curiosity and questions of what could have been her potential or possibilities. Also, it really tells us that how she isn’t really that happy in her marriage or getting married but it’s something that is not talked about during that time period of the story. “The Story of an Hour” relates to the theme of “The Wife” because of how both the women aren’t really that happy with their marriage and how that is a topic, during that point in history, that was not talked about. But the wife in “the story of an hour” is filled with new found hope of independence freedom from the women after hearing about her husband’s death. She repeats the word “free” and is now happy over the thought of living a full long life being free. Both the poem and story show how women felt about the role of being a wife and wondering the possibilities and potential they had in their own life’s way behind of their lives before becoming a wife and not having the […]
The poem “The Wife” shares a similar theme with the “Story of An Hour” as it relates to two wives. One is brand new, prepping herself for the duties of being a good wife and the other has just lost her husband and is processing his death. The excerpt from the poem that stands out the most is the last section: “It lay unmentioned, as the sea Develops pearl and weed, But only to himself is known The fathoms they abide.” This mainly relates to the short story “Story of An Hour” as they widow is left in complete shock but after grieving feels free. She is almost ashamed to feel this way and gets choked up from admitting it. The relief the widow feels being released from her marriage is the weed and the love and happiness from the same marriage being the pearls. The new wife openly expresses throughout the entire poem how she is to lay down her life of fun and uplift the responsibilities of being a wife.
Emily Dickinson’s poem “The Wife” and the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin are particularly similar when it comes to exposing the sexist gender roles expected to be followed by women in the 18th and in the 19th century, and the erasure of their self identities in detriment of their marriage life. In the first lines of the spenserian poem by Dickinson, she says “She rose to his requirement, dropped/ The playthings of her life /To take the honorable work/ Of woman and of wife.” As an allusion to a women who has dropped her entire identity and passions after marrying, where she referred as “playthings” — or in other words, something not worth to be taken seriously. And decided to perform the greatest “work” attributed to women in that era: Being an honorable wife. Attributes which we see on the story “The Story of an Hour” by Chopin, where after one of the characters, Mrs. Mallard’s, receives the unfortunate news about her husband passing away in a train accident, she sinks into sadness and the feeling of abandonment. Revealing then, at a first glance, a certain vulnerability expected by a married women at that time. Further, Dickinson says “If aught she missed in her new day/ Of amplitude, or awe / Or first prospective, or the gold / In using wore away” As a way to show some certain of disappointment and fear of missing not only the days that she had left in the past and her own individuality, but fear that the feeling for the husband — who now she had to look up for — would eventually wear away. Which we can relate to Chopin’s story, on the paragraphs 13-14, when after a short grief, Mrs. Mallard’s realizes that now she was […]
In “The Story of an Hour”, by Kate Choppin, Louis Mallard has a heart problem and is therefore carefully informed of her husband’s death. Ms. Mallard does not take this news lightly, she begins to cry and heads up to her room where she can be alone. She sits in front of an open window. There she sees trees and can hear the apprenticing rain. She feels at peace and begins reaping the word “free”. For the first time in a long time, Ms. Mallard feels a sense of freedom and relief over the death of her husband. She can see the years ahead which belong to only her. But all of this is suddenly taken away from when were husband, Brently, came back. Brently had not been an accident, and Ms. Mallard dies of a heart attack brought on by happiness. The themes in “The Story of an Hour” closely relate to “The Wife”, by Emily Dickinson. They both discuss the topic of how many women were unhappy in their marriages at the time. The poem states “She rose to his requirement, dropped The playthings of her life”. Women in marriages had to take surrender to another’s demands. In this case, when Ms. Mallard no longer had to follow someone else orders, she felt relieved and free from marriage.
Love, Poem 17: The Wife by Emily Dickinson shares the same theme of the wife who “dropped/ the playthings of her life/ to take the honorable work/ of woman and of wife” as “The Story of an Hour.” When Mrs. Mallard’s husband is thought to have passed in an accident, her immediate reaction is grief, but when given some time she comes to her senses. The “gold/ [that has] in using wore wore away” in “The Wife” parallels how, rather than going dull with grief, Mrs. Mallard’s eyes became keen and bright, picturing the years ahead of her with joyous disbelief. “As the sea/ develops pearl and weed” refers to how Mrs. Mallard had buried her emotions, her sense of awe and joy for the world, under layers much as an oyster buries a grain of sand in layers until nothing but a beautiful pearl is visible to the eye. She is exalted at the death of her husband, for as a widow she would have freedom from the “powerful will bending hers” (Chopin, 12).
The poem “The Wife” conveys the theme of the struggle between social norms and self willingness to be a wife in the 19th century. It starts with describing the early stage of a woman being a wife who has to “drop the playings of her life to take the honorable of women and of wife.” In “The Story of an Hour”, Louise is a perfect example that manages to do that. Her sister Josephine and Richards both believe she is a respectful wife who has already gotten rid of naivety and become totally mature. Louise does feel sad right after she hears the news of her husband’s death due to the honors she has today benefits from the marriage. However, when she goes back to the room and thinks alone, her imagination of a future living without a husband makes her feel excited and happy that never had before. By looking at the vibrant scene through the window, she realizes she sacrifices the whole world for the marriage, just as Emily Dickinson writes “Of first prospective, or the gold in using wore away.” in “The Wife”. She is ready to grasp the chance to enjoy the freedom for the rest of her life. Finally, however, the return of her husband destroys her last hope. At that time, there is no way for her to pursue freedom since her potential has been escaped under marriage. The cause of her death “lay unmentioned, as the sea develops pearl and weed.” Under the great pressure of social norms, Confirming death as an attribute to joy at least leaves her the last dignity.
The concept of independence is one of the most prominent themes in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour and Emily Dickinson’s poem “The Wife.” For example, once the shock of knowing that her husband had died has worn off, Louise realizes that she now has the freedom to live her own life. Emily Dickinson emphasizes personal issues of independence, society, and women in her poem “The Wife.” “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” (Chopin). This quote demonstrates Louise’s fear of her existence, foreseeing years of monotonous, unchangeable reliance and subjugation. Brently’s death, on the other hand, leaves her free and independent, and her existence becomes suddenly worthwhile. “If aught she missed in her new day Of amplitude, or awe, Or first prospective, or the gold In using wore away,” (Dickinson). Mrs. Mallard was unable to be herself during her marriage, as these lines demonstrate. She wonders how her days will be now that she is self-sufficient and can do whatever she wants.
“The Story of the Hour” shows us back in the days the way society viewed women as the weak gender and marriage was very difficult for women to enjoy their life, and in the story, Mrs. Mallard was very upset because of her husband’s death. In contrast to other women who might not have the strength to move forward, after the death of her husband, she takes comfort, and we see the strength and the ability in her to pass her husband’s death. The poem “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson is connected to Mrs. Mallard’s “The Story of the Hour.” By Kate Chopin in his poem, Dickinson says that “To take the honorable work Of woman and a wife.” It means that being married is not an easy job, in another word it shows the hard work of a married woman after her husband’s death. She devotes herself to work, to take care of her needs.
How the Theme of Emily Dickson’s Poem “The Wife” Relates to Mrs. Mallard Emotional State in “The Story of An Hour.” The poem “The Wife” by Emily Dickson is about women and marriage. The poem illustrates a woman’s emotional and behavioral state as she prepares to marry. It delves into the sacrifices, adjustments, and the social perceptions associated with a woman marrying. “The story of an hour” examines a woman’s feelings following the death of her husband (Paul, 2019). Kate Chopin, the author, exemplifies the violation of a woman’s independence through her range of emotions. Both of these works are primarily concerned with marriage. More precisely, the position of a woman in marriage. This paper will discuss the feminism and inequality issues that are prevalent in “The Wife” and relate to “The Story of An Hour.” As represented in “The Wife,” a woman’s responsibility in marriage is to accommodate her husband’s wants. “She met his expectations,” the author writes. The statement depicts the guy as the dominant figure, with the woman serving only to do his bidding (Ayothi, 2017). Mrs. Mallard, on the other hand, is depicted as gaining independence as demonstrated by her feelings. She is torn between sadness and relief. The writer’s phrase, “her life would be her own,” demonstrates how powerless the woman was in marriage. Womanhood is devalued in society. The poem refers to a woman’s unmarried actions as “playthings.” Without a husband, a woman is believed to be losing her value. “In usage wore away,” the writer writes, illustrating how easily a woman’s worth is disregarded. It is evident from “The Story of An Hour” that society does not comprehend Mrs. Ballard’s plight (Paul, 2019). The poem concludes with the phrase “it lay unmentioned, as the sea,” emphasizing how ineffective the woman of no value […]
The theme of “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson relates to Miss Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of the Hour” by Kate Chopin, in that it outlines what society expects of women in her time. Miss Mallard plays the role of the dutiful wife as she hears news of her husband’s death and mourns his passing. This theme is shown in the line “To take the honorable work / Of woman and of wife.” (Dickinson) After her initial grief, she then reflects upon her newly found freedom, and her emotional state goes from sorrow to joy at having been freed from her duties as a wife. “If aught she missed in her new day” and “It lay unmentioned, as the sea” (Dickinson) shows that a woman may have hidden feelings of longing for the things that she has to give up to serve her husband, and it would not be surprising if this lead to feelings of resentment. Being liberated from such a burden would naturally lead to feelings of joy.
The theme of Emily Dickinson’s poem “The Wife” relates to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of An Hour” because Mrs. Mallard lived her life for him as her wife and after his passing there was grievance but also a feeling of freedom living her life not revolved around her husband. Dickinson says; “She rose to his requirement, dropped. The playthings of her life To take the honorable work Of woman and of wife.” Dickinson’s description of what women would do for a man was exactly what Mrs. Mallard was to her husband, her life was her husband, that’s why after finding out he passed away there was a scene of freedom that she felt. After having felt freed, Dickinson states “If aught she missed in her new day Of amplitude, or awe, Or first prospective, or the gold In using wore away.” Dickinson describes women missing their old self and this relates to Mrs. Mallard. She beggings to reminisce about her past self and missed it. Lastly, in the poem, Dickinson says ” it lay unmentioned, as the sea Develops pearl and weed” meaning that it never gets brought up to a woman’s husband and it’s left unsaid. Mrs. Mallard went through the same thing with not letting her husband know and it was left unsaid till she also forget about herself till he passed away and her life was hers again.
The theme of the poem “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson talks about what she as a woman has to sacrifice “playthings In her life” when becoming a married woman. Emily does not want to get married but has to follow society norms. In “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard was in an unhappy marriage. When her husband dies her perception of life changes she finds her true self. She realized how much freedom she has “there would be no powerful will bending hers” she felt relief knowing she could live for herself and not nobody else. Emily’s poem relates to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state because both women are unhappy married women who had to play the role of a wife living by a man’s expectation taking away their freedom. Both stories show how women back then had to live up to society’s norm of women living up to men’s expectations.
“a good man to find” is a story of karma and how it comes back to bite you further down the line. The grandmother falls victim to someone with a mentality much like hers. The man who holds her hostage manipulates the situation to his benefit much, like the grandmother does in order to get her family to do what she wants.
